Gator Runners Ready To Chip In

With The Loss Of Terry Jackson, Rod Frazier And Eugene Mccaslin Will Assume Backfield Duties.

October 1, 1997|By Chris Harry of The Sentinel Staff

GAINESVILLE — The mood in the room was a somber one Monday, but University of Florida running backs coach Carl Franks made it clear to those attending that there was no time to mourn the season's loss of Terry Jackson, the team's gifted multidimensional player and inspirational leader.

''We talked to the guys before we watched the Kentucky game (on videotape),'' Franks said. ''We said, 'OK, here's what's happened . . . and through no fault of anybody in this room, it's time to step forward and take advantage of the opportunity.' ''

That opportunity now falls in the laps of Rod Frazier and Eugene McCaslin. They're the first candidates to replace Jackson, who blew out his right knee in the victory against the Wildcats.

''I really don't think it's exciting at all, considering the fact Terry got hurt,'' said McCaslin, a 6-foot-1, 216-pound sophomore out of Tampa Chamberlain. ''I'll try to handle it as best I can, go out and contribute to the team and, hopefully, pick up where Terry left off.''

That will be difficult, given Jackson's immense value as a runner, receiver, blocker, special-teams standout and locker-room giant.

Said Frazier: ''I was shocked and I was hurt. At Kentucky, he (Jackson) was on the sidelines, saying, 'I'm all right, I'm all right.' We figured he'd be OK by this week, if not, then by next week.''

Instead, Frazier, a 5-foot-11, 226-pounder from Bradenton Manatee, is expected to make his first start Saturday when the top-ranked Gators (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) host Arkansas at Florida Field.

NOTES: Freshman defensive tackle Gerard Warren underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove a cyst from his left knee and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Meanwhile, classmate Marquand Manual, who injured a hamstring last week and did not play at Kentucky, likely is done for the year. Both players will be redshirted in '97, which leaves wide receivers Travis Taylor and Darrell Jackson as the lone freshmen who will play this season. . . .

Sophomore Chrys Chukwuma, Arkansas' leading rusher, will not play against Florida and may miss the rest of the season because of a back injury. A magnetic resonance imaging test revealed two ruptured disks, team trainer Dean Weber said.